Stepping Out of the Shadow
by ashleyli
Summary: Desirae has always been overshadowed by her half-sister Sabrina, even if she doesn't try. That's why she jumped at the chance to get away from her oh-so-nice family. But it only leads to much more complications with Giovanni's evil plot to gain MewTwo, and her growing love for Gary...
1. Running Awry

Chapter One

Running Awry

"Oomph!"

I gasped as my body hit the ground, yet my fingers still stayed glued to the small item in my hand. It was as if my hand was melded together as one with the Super Potion I clutched, I could not let it go even if I tried. My knuckles were white as I clung to it tightly and protectively as if it were my very life source. My body stung and I thought about resting there for a moment, only a moment. Although half of me knew that I would instantly fall unconscious; and my Pokémon needed me. I could not let them down. At the moment my biggest fear was not making it, that or having them think that I abandoned them.

I propped myself onto my knees, and then onto my feet, not even bothering to examine myself. I would risk my life for my Pokémon, and I only knew too well that they would do the same. It was the least I could do, especially since I owed them. But that wasn't it, I loved them. With all my heart's desire, I _loved_ them, and I would do anything if it meant seeing another smile. If they were in a worst condition then I had left them in, I knew it would be my fault. And I would fail again.

I shook my head, forcing the thoughts out of my head as I ran. I had been so stupid! Why didn't I take Ninetails with me? I would have been back by now. However, I knew that I only left it there with them so that if they needed back-up, it was there. I couldn't bear the thought of anything happening in my absence. There could have been a lot of things I could have done, but the panic that I constantly felt in situations like this always stopped my thinking. It always made me lose.

Beads of sweat formed on my forehead, accompanied by the storm of rain that attacked me from all sides. It was no gentle, warm rain that usually would paint itself upon me, that was the rain I welcomed. No, this was an unmistakable storm. Icy cold wind blew through me and my clothes, causing me to wrap my black hooded traveling cloak closer to myself and the potion. I grimaced and concentrated on the path before me. I will _never_ let my Pokémon down! I thought, the words booming in my mind.

My breathing came in sharp ragged gasps, but I refused to stop. I could feel a cramp creeping into me through my right side and it was all I could do to start breathing through my nose. I mentally cursed myself for the lack of speed I possessed.

"Blastoise! Use Hydro Pump!"

I looked ahead of me to the clearing where my Pokémon and my bag lay. Gallade was protecting Gardevoir, just as I had asked it to if there came to be any trouble. Across from the grassy field, I could see a trainer with brown hair wearing a dark purple-blue long-sleeve shirt and dark blue pants. He also wore brown boots with two black strips on each and a necklace that so far, I couldn't make out. But that wasn't important right now; the trainer was commanding his Blastoise to attack my Pokémon!

"No!" I cried, and with a last blast of energy, I pushed my feet off the ground, and dived toward them. The Hydro Pump hit me with full force, and I gasped in pain. It was the most powerful Hydro Pump that I had even seen—or felt, and it hurt. It blew me off my feet and I skidded across the ground with my eyes wide open, searching for my Pokémon.

But I couldn't see them, the only thing I saw was my head collide with the ground, and I wasn't even sure if that was right. My vision was as if I was looking into the lenses of a camera, with a black border around everything, and it being bonked diagonal. It stayed like that, until I hit the ground and tried to tuck my head in.

Pokémon were strong, especially Blastoise, and I knew that no human could ever take one down. The impact of the water surprised me, it was much harder then I could ever imagine. I thought about how much damage my Pokémon got, if this Hydro Pump was that strong. The water still sprayed at me and I turned to see the Gallade and the Gardevoir I had been covering.

I forced a smile, "Are you two alright?"

They stared at me with wondering eyes, but I could tell that now they were angry and sad at my pain. "Stop, Blastoise!" I heard the trainer yell as the water stopped. My back and head throbbed and I collapsed to my knees.

I realized that Gallade was no longer in my sight any more, but behind me and advancing on the Blastoise. It was about to use Close Combat. "Stop, please!" But my efforts were useless. I knew that Gallade and Gardevoir were loyal, and chivalrous. Gardevoir weakly stood up and went beside Gallade. "Its fine, you guys. I'm okay." I tried. They looked back at me and I nodded. Reluctantly, they stepped back.

I looked at Blastoise and its trainer with begging eyes. They stood solemnly and I turned my back to them. My hand shot out to Gardevoir and my light blue aura filled around it, carefully lifting it up and setting it on the floor. I walked over to it, ignoring the pain I felt, and ordered it to drink the Super Potion. I could see that it was already feeling better. _I'm sorry_, I told her through telepathy. A long time ago, I bonded with both Gardevoir and Gallade when they were both just Ralts. I had taken care of them ever since they had hatched, but it had taken me a long time to convince my family into getting them for me.

Sabrina, my half-sister had reluctantly agreed to buy the eggs for me if I tried to hone my physic powers, yet to no avail. I got my Pokémon and took care of them greatly, but I was never powerful and could never concentrate. The only thing that brought my abilities on was a strong emotion that overwhelmed me, just like now. Sabrina said it took time to awaken my powers, but I knew she was disappointed, I could feel it in her. Plus, our father had shown us many things, and told me that ever since Sabrina had been young, she could do anything easily with her abilities. I envied Sabrina for this, I always longed for Father to look at me with proud eyes. But I rarely got it, unlike her. The only physic thing I accomplished so far was telepathy and psycho-kinesis. Sabrina, however, had mastered teleportation, telepathy, psycho-kinesis, and transmutation a long time ago. I still worked at this.

As for my mother, she passed away by giving birth to me. It was a tragic thing, and I never even knew I had a father or a half-sister until he came up to me. Yet it was clear that he chose my half-sister and her mother. Why else would he have not have been there when I was born? Why else would he not be there for me? I had to admit though; I knew he loved me at least a little bit. After all, he let me stay with him in his perfect house, with his perfect family. Especially after Sabrina's old self was awakened by a trainer that beat her from Pallet Town. I could not resent them though, not after the home they gave me, the food they gave me, and the love. I always wondered if perhaps they only gave me such a luxury because I was blood-related. Kin. I never had the guts to ask though.

It was always a wonder to people if I were adopted or not. Ever since birth I had looked almost exactly like my mother, according to photos and my father anyway. With pale skin, blond hair with swooping side bangs and green eyes, the only thing I inherited from my father was his powers. Everything else was Mom.

Standing up, I brushed off my black jeans and looked at my attire. My jeans looked okay, but I would probably have to wash them. As for my top, the tank top and cardigan I had over it were pretty dirty, stained with mud. I glanced at my Pokémon for a second before going over to the trainer.

He had just put away his pokédex and was staring at me as I came up to him. He returned his Blastoise to its pokéball and kept staring.

"I'm sorry for intruding and for causing you and your Pokémon trouble. Please, forgive me." I said quietly.

He chuckled, "believe me, you are not the one to be apologizing. I mistakenly thought that these Pokémon were wild and had stolen someone's bag in order to save that Gardevoir of yours. I thought that if I captured them, I could treat it at a Pokémon Centre and make it my newest Pokémon. I guess not though." He said, "I'm sorry for blasting you with that Hydro Pump, I never expected you or anyone to do that."

My response was immediate. "I would do that for any of my Pokémon any day."

"So would I," he said, with a tone that said '_I never said that you wouldn't_'.

I looked at him uncomfortably.

"What is your name?"

"Gary Oak."

I held out my hand, "Desirae." I made sure to pronounce my name very clearly; most of the time people got it wrong and spelled my name incorrectly.

Gary raised his eyebrows. "No last name yet?"

"Not unless you're my friend."

He smirked. "It's your choice. I have no use for your last name, whether I know it or not."

I accepted that, and was actually glad that he didn't want to know it. "Where are you heading next?"

"Blackthorn City to challenge the gym leader."

I nodded, "So am I, would you like a short-cut there?"

"What kind?"

I led him back to my Pokémon and slung my bag over my shoulder. Gardevoir had gained plenty of energy from the Super Potion, but still she had to be treated at a Pokémon Centre, I could see that clearly. "Gardevoir? Please, if you're up for it, can you teleport us to the nearest Pokémon Centre?"

Gardevoir nodded and closed her eyes. Suddenly, the world slipped away in a second and we materialized in the Pokémon Centre. My guess was that it was in Blackthorn City. I walked over to the desk to ring a bell for Nurse Joy. When she came, she immediately took Gardevoir on a stretcher and went into the emergency room with a Chansey. I waited along the couches outside with Gallade and Gary impatiently.

As I sat down in the waiting area, I almost immediately saw a few minor bruises and cuts on my knee, a gruesome scrape on my arm, and the uncomfortable yet tolerable throbbing in my back and head.

"You should get that looked at." Gary suggested, glancing at me as I awkwardly tried to get in a good position to sit in that didn't give me a great deal of pain.

"No, I'm fine." I grimaced, "or not. Besides, I can't, this is a _Pokémon _Centre. Hence the word Pokémon."

"So what? That doesn't mean Nurse Joy can't fix you up when Gardevoir is done. I'm sure she can make an exception." He said.

I nodded and made a mental note to ask her when she was finished with Gardevoir. "So why don't you put Gallade in his pokéball?" Gary asked after a moment, "and what happened to Gardevoir?"

I smiled softly, "Gallade prefers to be outside his pokéball, especially when Gardevoir is. Although they are both loyal, I can see a little bit of competition in Gallade's eyes every time Gardevoir's around. I guess that's just how they are though; I know they love each other deep inside. All pokémon do." I said, "As for Gardevoir, while Gallade was in his pokéball, Gardevoir and I got into a bit of a problem. She got badly injured and I couldn't put her in her pokéball and run with my bag to the Pokemon Centre."

"Why not?"

"Gardevoir's pokéball is missing. Or perhaps stolen."

Surprise flickered on Gary's face. I quickly added, "Although I know it is not broken because I have tried to re-capture her many times, but it doesn't work."

"Why don't you just use Gardevoir? Aren't Pokémon drawn to their pokéball?" He asked.

"Yes, but I don't know what's wrong. Gardevoir doesn't feel anything." I paused, "perhaps it is the pokéball. Gardevoir hatched before Gallade, and when that happened, my father told me to use a pokéball they gave me on it. So I did, and everything was fine until now."

"When did you lose it?"

"Just over a month ago."

Silence spread among them and I knew that he was thinking the same thing as I, 'it could be anywhere...'

Suddenly, Gallade cut throught my thoughts. '_Where does that boy come from?_'

I turned to Gary, "where is your home town?"

"Pallet Town. My grandfather is Professor Samuel Oak." He said proudly. I looked at him in surprise; I had never known that he was the son of a famous Pokémon researcher. "And you?"

"Saffron City. I suppose you know the gym leader there, Sabrina?"

"Yes, I got a Marsh Badge from her." Gary recalled, "Why?"

I smiled, if he beat her, he could beat me. "She is my half-sister."

"Is that why you can do that thing where you glow?"

I laughed at his confusing words. "Yes, I inherited my physic abilities from my father. Sabrina did as well, however she is much better than I. A 'Master of Physic Pokémon' she is."

"Does this mean that you competed in the Indigo League?"

"Yes, although I didn't do very good in it."

"Did you make it past the fourth round?"

I nodded, and he sighed. "Then you are better than me."

"I think I was in the top sixteen..." I said, but quickly hurried on. "However, that does not mean that you are better than me."

He smiled, "yes it does."

"No, really, it doesn't. You probably just got a very good opponent, unlike me. I can't even beat my sister." I said, shame-faced.

"Then how did you make it into the Indigo League?"

I blushed into my tea that I received from a Chansey, and thanked it before talking. "Well, uh, you see..."

"She gave it to you, didn't she?" A new found harshness came into her voice, and I knew that I just crossed a line. He looked at me with a new disrespect, as if I wasn't worthy enough. Well, a lot of things about me were unworthy, and I knew it too.

"Yes, she did. However, I promised that when I was strong enough, I would battle her. Without holding anything back and she agreed. I know it was wrong to take it like that, but she gave it to me and insisted. I just know that when I do battle Sabrina, it will be a good one. And a fair one, too." I paused, my cheeks still heated. "Please do not tell anyone."

He sighed, and I sensed that all-too familiar feeling of disappointment inside myself once more, "It is not my secret to tell."

"Thank you." I said just as the emergency signal in above the emergency room went off. The doors opened and Nurse Joy and Chansey came out with Gardevoir. I smiled and we all went over to her.

"Gardevoir will be just fine, Desirae. You're lucky you got here in time, all it really needs is enough sleep tonight and it will be absolutely healthy in the morning." Nurse Joy said.

"Thank you." I repeated.

She smiled, "it's my pleasure!"

"Umm, Nurse Joy, I was wondering…"

"What is it?"

"Could you take a look at me? I know this is a Pokémon Centre and all, but please? I got a bit hurt with my Gardevoir—"

"Sure! Step this way!"

I nodded and waved to Gary, and he mouthed something I didn't catch, but I just nodded and turned to Nurse Joy. I hope I hadn't missed anything important.

When Nurse Joy was finished with my check-up I was cleaned up and had bandages on my cuts, back and scrape, and ointment on everything as well. I didn't suffer anything too severe. I let a sigh of relief flood out of me as I thanked Nurse Joy and returned to the front foyer greeted by my Pokémon.

Once I hefted my bag over my shoulders and had returned Gallade to its pokéball, I realized that Gary was nowhere in sight. 'Where could he be?' I wondered as I searched around the Pokémon centre.

"Excuse me, are you looking for something?" A spunky brown haired girl dressed jeans that were super short, boots, and a purple t-shirt said.

"My err…" What was Gary to me anyway? "My companion. Spiky brown hair, a long sleeved purple top and dark blue pants with boots? Kinda cocky, wears a necklace?"

"Oh _him_?" She asked, "he looked like a _great _Pokémon trainer; super cute too. Asked me for directions to the gym because he lost his guide book or something. Left here in a hurry and without a doubt, too," she smirked.

I faked a kind smile, "thank you." I said before walking away with my Gardevoir feeling slightly hurt. Why had he just left like that? And without saying at least a thank you for teleporting him here? For making his journey shorter? Even as I had only known him for a day, less even, it didn't seem in his league to just go off like that.

'_She was lying.'_ Gardevoir said.

I gave her a soft smile as we headed for the door, "I wouldn't be too sure, he really wanted that battle, I could tell from his eyes. And his bag is gone; perhaps we should check the gym."

As we reached the automatic doors of the Pokémon Centre, I half expected Gary to come running, asking where I was going and telling that ridiculous girl off, but one can only dream, and it never happened. My hopes dimmed and I tried not to let it show, physically nor mentally, because I knew my Pokémon would be able to sense it.

I mentally slapped myself in the face with force, telling myself to get over it. That I had only known him for a few short hours, who cared?

As we walked down the streets, I looked around at the new city we were in before walking to a directory and getting a map. As I walked down the street, still stung by Gary's leave, I crammed my head into the map and occasionally looked out. I looked at the area around me and saw that beyond the many houses, there were trees everywhere, and it didn't look the slightest bit crowded. This was a beautiful city, perhaps even more so then my own.

The second thing I noticed was the people, who also noticed me to. Most of them gave me friendly smiles; betting that we were going to the gym. Yet a fraction of those people snickered at me and made foul comments that I had to strain my ears to hear. Even thought almost everyone was nice, it took only that small group of juveniles to bring me down. To give me another reason to work out the first thing I went on the road again.

When I got to the building with dragon statues to the side, I knew it was the gym. The building was huge, with blue pillars and a white marble coat, this building looked very modern and beautiful. I climbed up the steps and burst through the door, only to slam into Gary's back.

"Hey! Will you watch it?" I yelled, looking at him. He smirked at me like a late school kid as I roughly glanced at the room, and his face. I could see that the room was very light with many windows and lighting that was not used in the day, as for Gary though, he looked as cocky as ever.

"So you finally made it, huh Desirae?"

I whipped my head around to him fast, "no thanks to you!"

"Why so worried anyway, you found me. No big deal." Gary said. Why did he have to be such a jerk just because I got a free badge from Sabrina?

"I'm not," I snapped, "it's just rude to leave without giving any acknowledgement to your peers."

The smirk disappeared, "I did tell you. Right before you went in the check-up room with Nurse Joy."

I recalled him mouthing something to me, but I hadn't understood and just nodded. Perhaps he did say something, but I didn't catch it. I stopped the sheepish smile that crept onto my face and replaced it with a look of accusation. I wasn't going to admit defeat. "I don't remember a thing!"

Somebody appeared through a door. It was a woman with blue hair tied back in a pony-tail. She wore a black cape and navy blue top and shorts. "Are you two here to challenge the gym leader?"

I nodded and she smiled. "Alright then, who is going first?"

I pointed at Gary who made it clear that it was him who would be battling. The woman motioned us through the door she came through. It led to a battle field with a pool in the middle. Yet there was also land off to the sides.

"Are you the gym leader?" Gary asked.

"Yes, my name is Clair."

"I'm Gary Oak, from Pallet."

"And I'm Desirae, of Saffron City."

Clair nodded "I have another trainer coming to battle me soon, but since he isn't here yet, I'm sure I can battle the two of you first."

"Great." I said with a broad smile, ignoring Gary.

She crossed the ground to the platform on the other side of the battle field. Gary went on the other platform and I went on the sidelines behind him. An old man appeared from an unseen doorway and stood on another one in the middle of it all. He held up two flags, one green and one red, it was apparent that he was the referee.

"From the green corner challenger Gary Oak from Pallet Town is here to challenge the gym leader of Blackthorn City in hopes of earning a rising badge. The challenger is allowed to switch Pokémon as they please, but the gym leader is not. This will be a three on three Pokémon battle." The old man said, looking between the two from time to time to make sure they followed up. "Let the battle begin!"

"Kingdra, let's go!" Clair yelled, throwing a pokéball in the air. After a moment, a Kingdra appeared; its scales and coat looking very beautiful. It was obvious that this Kingdra was very well taken care of, and most certainly fit and greatly trained. This would be a hard match, but even though I had not known Gary for long, I knew he would win.

I gazed intently on them, hoping to get a good glimpse of her strategies and her Pokémon. She specialized in dragon-type Pokémon, which meant that no electric types would work. I scanned through all the dragon type Pokémon in my head and saw that most of them were also water-type which was also why there was a pool in the middle of the field. I would have the advantage when it came to our battle, but that still didn't mean I could win.

Gary kissed the pokéball he took out, "Arcanine! Let's win this!" He shouted with a flick of his arm. Gracefully, an Arcanine came out looking just as fine as Kingdra, this would be an interesting match, but I was careful to take mental notes.

"An Arcanine, huh? Well this should be a pleasure!" Clair said, "Kingdra, Twister!"

Spinning around, Kingdra was blindingly fast in the water and soon there was a twister that formed and came straight for Arcanine. Gary smirked, "You're lucky I didn't use _my _Kingdra, Clair!" He said, "Arcanine, use Fire-spin and direct it at the Twister! Try and make it re-direct and come back at her!"

Arcanine took a deep breath and blew out a long, powerful fire spin that went right into the twister. Now it was a flaming twister! Yet it wasn't going back at Kingdra.

"Gary, don't you know? Kingdra can control the twister, if it's good enough, that is. This is your final badge, Gary, it won't be easy!" She said. Although I could see sweat building on Kingdra's face as it tried to control it still.

"Arcanine! One more time! Fire-spin with max power!" Gary yelled, "Send it right back at it!"

Arcanine gave a cry and blew more fire at the twister, harder. This time the twister started going faster and more powerful, but in the direction of Kingdra. Clair was surprised, "Quick, go underwater!"

But it was too late; the twister had been already moving at tremendous speed and had already engulfed Kingdra in it. The twister reached heights so high, it almost touched the ceiling of the gym. When the twister finally subsided, there Kingdra was, still standing but very battered. There was no more water in the pool, it had all evaporated.

"Alright Arcanine, get it while it is tired! Fire fang!" Gary commanded as it pounced at its target.

"Kingdra, Agility!"

Kingdra moved like lightning. If it was that fast on land, I didn't even want to know how fast it was on water. Arcanine kept trying to get it, but it never worked, its opponent was too fast. Gary tensed, how was he going to make it still? "Arcanine! Twist your body and send a flamethrower throughout the whole field!"

It grunted and started to spin, which was hard since of its four legs, but not impossible. As it opened its mouth, flames came out and I was reminded of sprinklers, yet this was fire. Kingdra stopped and tried to avoid the fire, but Arcanine just gained speed and soon it was like a game of ping-pong. However, Kingdra was getting tired, it was easy to see that and soon it got hit.

"Hurry, Arcanine! Send it flying with a tackle attack!"

It obeyed its master and charged at the stricken Kingdra that was having trouble to move. Flying it went to the wall that would surely end this round. "Kingdra, use Hydro Pump!"

Oh no, it's going to try and break its fall! I thought, but was mistaken. As Kingdra aimed at the wall, no water came out! It was too tired to even send out a sprout! A deafening crack filled the air as Clair's Pokémon hit the wall, too tired to even stand anymore.

"Kingdra is unable to battle. Arcanine on the green side has won the round!" The referee announced.

"Kingdra, return." She said as she fished out her pokéball. "You did a great job and deserve a good rest."

From that round, I could see that Clair didn't think of too many surprising strategies, just the regular ones. I would have to take her off-guard to win. And use my Pokémon to my advantage.

"Wonderful work, Arcanine! You still up for another round?" Gary asked it. Arcanine nodded, standing tall and proud.

"Come on out, Gyarados!" Suddenly, I was terrified. Gyarados were very scary and could hurt anyone easily with their amazingly short tempers. As long as you owned on, there was no reason to be afraid, but I didn't have one and I didn't think Gary did either.

"Too bad you chose a fire-type to battle, Gary." Clair said, "Gyarados! Rain Dance!"

Gyarados swiftly turned its long body in the air for a few moments, and then the rain came. Hard as in the morning, the rain didn't help. I returned Gallade to its pokéball with much protest, but had nothing for Gardevoir. This did not help Arcanine either; he was a fire-type Pokémon! Arcanine barely noticed the rain, but I could tell it still had some affect.

"Here we go! Gyarados! Use Hyper Beam!" The gym leader said.

The Hyper Beam hit it at full force. Arcanine sank against the wall, fainted. "Arcanine is unable to battle! Gyarados from the red side wins the round!" Gary still looked determined to win though. Arcanine was gone in two hits though, how strong was her pokemon?

I studied Clair quickly, avoiding her gaze. She didn't show any signs of fatigue or worry; she would be a hard gym leader to beat. Across the bleachers I could see more people watching as more came in through the door. I had never seen so many people come to watch a gym battle. Perhaps it was because Clair didn't get beaten often…?

"Hey, Clair!"

A boy in a red and white cap came in at a run toward Clair. He wore light blue jeans, a black t-shirt and a blue short-sleeved sweater. At his side was a Pikachu, probably his. His face gave much away, excitement, hopefulness, recklessness. He needed to work on that.

"Oh, hey Ash. I'm sorry; you took so long…I thought I could battle a pair of trainers who came in the morning…" Clair said.

Ash stared at Gary with a menacingly competitive look. "That Gary…I thought I was going to battle you first!"

Two people rushed in after Ash, one with red hair, and the other brown. They were not dressed at all alike; the girl with the red hair had jean shorts, red sneakers and a short t-shirt on, whereas the guy with brown hair had brown cargos, runners, a brown t-shirt and a green vest.

"Ash, if you didn't have to eat such a big breakfast, you could have been here a lot earlier you know!" The girl said.

"I'm sorry, but my Pokémon and I need our energy!"

I walked over to them, "um, excuse me? But aren't you two in the middle of a battle?" I hastily added something, "and I was to battle Clair after Gary!"

"What?" Ash cried, frustrated.

Clair sighed, "I am sorry Ash, I know I did promise all of you, but Gary and Desirae got here first, so please bear with us all and wait until the two are done."

Ash looked like he was about to explode with anger, even more than a Gyarados. "That Gary…" he fumed all the way to the bleachers of the sidelines.

Once we all sat down, I started to look at my temporary companions in wonder. "So who are you guys?"

"I'm Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town, and I wanna be a Pokémon master!" Ash said.

"I'm Misty, the previous gym leader of Cerulean City. My dream is to be the greatest water Pokémon trainer ever!"

"And I'm Brock, the previous gym leader of Pewter City. My wish is to become the greatest Pokémon breeder there is."

I gave off a shaky laugh; "you all have big dreams. I hope to become a Pokémon master as well. Are you from the same town as Gary?"

Ash growled, but didn't speak. Misty told him to calm down, "they are both rivals, and not friends either. Everything is one big competition with those two. I guess that Gary getting here first really upset him. And you as well are going before Ash so…he's really jealous and angry."

"That Gary…" Ash murmured, "I am not jealous!"

"Sure you aren't," teased Misty.

"If you're going to keep fighting so loudly, take it outside." I snapped.

"Why so interested in watching the battle, Desirae?" Ash asked, a smirk rising to his lips.

I snorted, "Ash, I expected you to be smarter than this. Don't you think that you should study Clair and her strategies while you can?"

He blinked and got a determined look on his face, "right." Pikachu agreed and _tsked_ Ash.

Gary had drawn out his Umbreon and they had already started the battle with a few attacks. But no damage had come to either Pokémon, although Umbreon didn't look half as tired as Gyarados. Even though Umbreon wasn't as big as Gyarados, didn't mean that it isn't as strong.

"Umbreon, use Confuse Ray!"

Umbreon let out its Confuse Ray which left Gyarados dazed and on the ground. Not the greatest place for it. "Hurry Umbreon, Quick Attack!" Umbreon ran forward at amazing speedat tackled the dragon and water type Pokémon with full force.

"Gyarados is unable to battle; Umbreon from the green corner wins the round!" The referee announced.

My body glowed for a split second, just so that I could get one message across to him. '_Surprise is the key; strategize.'_

He looked me directly in the eye, and I knew that he got my message. He turned back to Clair and nodded slightly, acknowledging the communication. I turned to see Brock rubbing his eyes for a moment as if he had just seen a ghost. Yet I refused to believe he saw me.

Dragonair came out and defeated Umbreon as if it was a toothpick, the skill was equal here and if that was the case I feared that I would lose when I battled her. Next, Gary chose his last and final Pokémon which surprised me to no end: Blastoise. I didn't see anything there, but then again, I wasn't very bright.

"Blastoise, use Hydro Pump!" They battled head to head, each trying to take another off guard, which only worked sometimes. Dragonair got the better of Blastoise though; with its ability to fly, it was impossible to make out what it would do. Clair was good.

But Gary came through.

"Blastoise! Water Gun, and then use Skull Bash!" Gary yelled; it seemed that he had started to take on the offensive side.

"Dragonair! Twister!"

"Withdraw!" Blastoise was heavy, because of the Twister, it only left the ground for a few inches, but no more.

Dragonair, hurry with a Hyper Beam!" Blastoise was blown off its feet, the match was close and both Pokémon were exhausted.

Slowly, Blastoise stood and used Flash Canon, only to be countered by Safeguard. Dragonair seemed invincible, which only made me more and more nervous. "Hydro Pump, Blastoise!"

This time it hit Dragonair spot on and it flew to the wall; hitting it with a crushing sound I would never like to experience. Now Gary saw his chance, "Tackle!"

Blastoise was quick to move, know that if it waited any longer, this match would only go on longer. With a forceful shove off of its feet, Blastoise flew through the air and hit Dragonair just as it was opening its eyes, and tackled it back into the wall.

"Dragonair is unable to battle; the winner of this match is Gary of Pallet Town!" The referee shouted whilst holding up the green flag.

"You were amazing Blastoise," said Gary before returning it to its pokéball. As he looked up, Clair presented him with the Rising Badge, something I would strive to get. Suddenly, I was hyperventilating as I realized that it was my turn to battle. And I had seen her power; it was one that I could never have. Sabrina's voice boomed in my mind, _If you think you'll win, you'll win. But be careful._

I sighed and nodded my head before giving a forceful clap for Gary. That Gary. I turned to my companions on the bleachers and found Ash looking from his Pokédex to my Gardevoir.

"I've never seen Gardevoir here before, is it a new Pokémon?" Ash asked.

I smiled at his interest, "not at all. Gardevoir is just rare to see in the Johto League, but not so much in the Hoenn Region."

"The Hoenn Region?" Ash asked.

"There are many regions, and leagues where you can earn badges, and go into the big competition at the end. Just like the Indigo and Johto League." I explained, as we both turned our attention to Misty and Brock.

"….hey, you know what? I just noticed that Brock hasn't fallen for Desirae yet. Could he be turning into a decent guy? I mean, whenever he sees any girl he just keeps falling in love…"

I could see by the look on Brock's face that he was in love right now with a girl across from us, marvelling at her beauty. Something I didn't have, it was obviously the reason for Brock's actions. I was a plain girl whose hair was too blond, I couldn't blame him. I cracked a smile on my face and made the tone in my voice sweet, "I'm sure he is just distracted by that woman there."

"Hey, haven't you noticed that Gary has been a bit nicer to Ash ever since the Indigo League?" Mist asked; she was very observant.

"Kinda, I mean, before Gary would insult Ash whenever he got the chance, but I don't see that now." Brock replied.

"Gary is just the same, I don't see any difference." Ash remarked.

"Remember what Gary wrote on that sign, Ash? "Gary was here, Ash is a loser."? I don't see him doing that anymore."

"Uhh, I guess."

"And he even used to drive around in a car with a cheerleading team!"

Could Gary really have been that rude and arrogant before? Now we were all the age eleven, except Brock, but I never imagined this. It was hard to believe now, but I could picture it slightly. I remembered when he left and I caught up with him, that smirk. Yes, I could definitely see it now. Even if he was before and maybe even now, there was no doubt that he had a kind heart toward his Pokémon.

"Not nice to be talking about people behind their back, Ashy boy."

I turned to see Gary, proudly showing off his Rising badge and setting it in a red velvet case. It was as if he was inviting people to gawk and stare at it, and I couldn't help myself. I turned away, feeling my cheeks heat up. Oh no.

"Listen Gary, I'm going to get a Rising badge, just after Desirae has her match!" Ash said.

"I'm sure you will, Ashy. I also think that the little girl over there will get it too, 'cause you know, you and her are such _amazing_ Pokémon trainers." Gary said, it was hard to miss the tone of sarcasm in his voice.

Ash looked like a furnace, burning with rage as its fuel. "I am going to win this!"

"Hey, Gary? Are you staying to watch Desirae?"

He nodded, "I gotta check out my competition before I battle them."

Ash's jaw dropped, "You want to battle her, but not me? That's not fair!"

He wanted to battle me? It was clear that he was a good trainer, should I be thrilled? My cheeks heated even more now and I turned to look at Clair and her Pokémon. She was motioning for me to come down and start the match. I was glad for the escape route. Pale skin and rosy red cheeks did not go well together.

"Hey, guys? Could you take care of Gardevoir for me while I have my match?" I asked, careful to hide my face.

"Sure thing, Desirae." Brock said with a smile.

I turned to Gardevoir to see her pulling up a questioning look. _You will not be battling with me?_ It asked me.

I gave her a smile, _you need to rest tonight, and you aren't strong enough from before, Gardevoir. I promise that I will battle with you in the Silver Conference…and even in the match with Gary!_

It nodded and I jumped off the bleachers to the field, not even noticing the looks I got from the others, it seemed that they knew Gardevoir and I had been talking, just not what about.

"Are you ready, Clair? I hope that wasn't your only Pokémon!" I told her.

"Have higher expectations for me, Desirae! This will be a great match, I can tell!" Clair replied.

"Charizard., go!"

_Charizard? Why Charizard? Can it even learn any Dragon-type moves? Is it even a Dragon-type? What is going on?_

I gritted my teeth and took a breath: it was my turn.

…**..**

A/N: Hope you liked the chapter! It may seem like there is no plot so far, or that I am just following the Johto League, but trust me, it will get better and more into the plot in a few chapters. Thanks for reading, but please review and let me know if I got anything wrong.

I promise to update ASAP! Just note that I do have other stories to update as well!

…**..**

**Disclaimer:**This is a Pokemon fanfiction. None of the characters, shows, manga, or movies is owned by me unless otherwise stated. Credit goes to the original owner.

© Ashley Jane Li, 2011. All rights reserved.


	2. Never Stops

**Chapter Two**

**Never Stops**

"Come on out, Mismagius!"

Earlier in the day, before I had even met Gary, I had trained and cared for my Pokémon, just as I did every morning. Looking at Mismagius, I could see that it was in much better condition than I was. What I was really gazing at though, was Clair's Charizard. I didn't even know she had one, let alone that it could use dragon-type moves!

The two Pokémon stood at the edges of the battle field, near their trainers. Charizard was big, its height rivalled that of an Onix, or at least, it appeared so to me. I wracked my brain through both of the Pokémon's moves and weaknesses until I figured out a formidable attack to use. This would be fun.

"Mismagius! Use Attract!" I shouted. I knew that my Mismagius was a girl, and my best guess was that Charizard was a boy; I hoped I was right.

A string of hearts flowed like a wave over to Charizard, wrapping around its body and entering it, rendering it in love; infatuated. I smiled slightly, but this was just the start of the battle, and I knew I had to do better.

"Shadow Ball! Go Mismagius!"

"Mismagius." It murmured as a big ball of shadow rolled up, controlled by it. It grew and grew as Clair shouted commands at Charizard. It did not obey though, only shook its head and refused to hurt its supposed lover.

Finally, it got up to a size that I knew was its limit for now. It had been almost that exact size in the training session we had this morning, only a fraction smaller, this was an attack we still had to work with. "Go!" As I said this, Mismagius released the Shadow Ball and it flew right into Charizard. I knew there was a chance that this would make Charizard angry and snap it out of Attract, so I needed to hurry.

"Quick, Mismagius! Use Giga Impact now! Get up close!" I called, hoping for the best. Charizard got up looking very tired but refused to give up, it looked at Mismagius with wondering eyes that asked why it was attacking him. It loved her.

Or so it thought.

Charizard held its ground and tried to stop the attack, but to no avail. Mismagius swept across the field with blinding speed and the Giga Impact hit Clair's Pokémon dead on. But now it was getting angry, so angry it snapped out of Attract. I felt a sense of accomplishment though, knowing I did _some_ damage.

"Alright Charizard, Dragon Rage!" Clair commanded.

Charizard roared with fury and opened its mouth, a big white glowing ball filling bigger and bigger. Finally, it shot out and darted towards Mismagius. I quickly told it to dodge, but was too late. The blast had already hit it, and the result was it lying on the ground, looking very weary.

"Please Mismagius, I know we can win this round! Please get up!" I begged, "You can do it!"

"Mis…magius." It heaved. Struggling to get up until it finally did. I breathed a sigh of relief and commanded myself not to look into the bleachers at the people watching.

"Dragon Claw, Charizard!"

"Oh no, we're not falling for that again. Mismagius, Double Team!"

Mismagius used Double Team, creating many other illusions like it to come around in a circle around Charizard, I silently willed it to go faster, and it shuffled through the illusions, making Charizard dizzy.

"Let's win this, Mismagius! Hyper Beam with full power!"

Since Mismagius was the final evolution of a Pokémon, it was able to use Hyper Beam. All the illusions disappeared and went to one behind Charizard: the real one. Mismagius stored up power and let the Hyper Beam loose. Since the Hyper Beam was close up, it did more damage than from far away, but nonetheless, Charizard was knocked out.

"Charizard is unable to battle, Mismagius wins the round."

I did a silent cheer in my head, trying not to gush or boast. Instead, I gave Mismagius a hug before it had to continue. "You're doing great, Mismagius, keep it up!"

"I admit, Desirae, you're a good trainer…but not enough to beat me!" Clair declared with a flick of her wrist. Dragonair appeared; its body big and glossy, a healthy looking Pokémon indeed.

How do I beat her? I wondered. Dragonair is very strong, and can manipulate the elements…but I don't think Clair has any physic type Pokémon so…"Mismagius! Disappear!"

Mismagius instantly disappeared, leaving Dragonair to wonder its whereabouts. I told it to attack with Quick Attack, and Mismagius appeared behind Dragonair, giving it a hard tackle. Dragonair whirled back before hitting the wall, only getting slightly damaged.

"Mismagius, use Psybeam!"

"Dragonair, counter it with Twister!"

Mismagius launched the attack, but found itself shooting the Psybeam at a Twister wrapped around Dragonair's body for protection. I instructed it to try again as soon as Twister was finished, but the same result came. How was I going to do this?

I looked up and down at the Twister; the only way to get into it was from the top! That was it! "Mismagius! Fly up and use Psybeam, but point it straight down the Twister!"

Clair smirked, "haven't you learned by now? Your tricks won't work on us!"

"I wouldn't be so sure!" I cried as Mismagius used her Psybeam, creating a sort of psybeam-twister, spinning around Dragonair! There was a lot of smoke as the Twister cleared, and I looked up to see Dragon and Mismagius, still there, panting, Mismagius being more so.

"Let's finish this! Perish Song, now!" I yelled. I needed to end this fast, Mismagius was getting tired, and I knew that maybe it could win the whole battle if Clair didn't have any physic Pokémon.

Mismagius started to hum the Perish Song, and slowly, the music started to come toward Dragonair's ears. "Safeguard!" Clair yelled.

"There is no need for that, Perish Song is not affected by any defensive attack except if they have Soundproof." I said with a smile, maybe I could do this.

Even as Dragonair used Safeguard, its efforts were useless, the music filled its ears and sooner or later, Dragonair was going to faint, and then I would win the match.

"Hurry Dragonair, Hyper Beam!"

Oh no, Mismagius was too close, even as it had finished Perish Song, it was still too close from that Twister and the Hyper Beam struck it, strong and true. I grimaced as Mismagius fell, but was reminded that soon Dragonair would faint.

I brought out its pokéball and returned it, murmuring congratulation words to it, because Mismagius had just done an amazing job of taking out one Pokémon, and ensuring that Dragonair would soon fail as well.

I smiled at Clair, "your Dragonair is amazingly strong, it has a good trainer." I said, "But if you want to play with Dragon Pokémon, that's fine with me! Altaria! It's your turn!"

Out came Altaria, its skin looking as blue as the warm sky above, and its wings as fluffy as the clouds. I had just groomed it with my other Pokémon, and I must say that I did out-do myself!

"Since there are two pokemon who are able to fly, the battle field will change!" The referee said, just as the ceiling of the gym dispersed to the sides. This would be fun.

"An Altaria, hm? Very nice."

"Isn't it?" I said, accepting her compliment. "Well then, you're just going to have to see how nice it really is! Altaria, use Mist!"

Almost immediately, the whole place filled with mist, and no one could see except Altaria. She made a nice thick one, too.

"Alright Altaria, Sky Attack!"

Altaria darted into the clean, mist free air and came swooping down, straight at Dragonair after hitting it. There was a 9.8% that it would cause Dragonair to flinch, rendering it unable to attack. This I hoped for.

Yet I had no such luck.

Dragonair was slowly falling victim to the Perish Song, but it was still moving and able. This was a strong Pokémon, one that didn't give up. It was also one hard to beat. "Altaria, use Dragon Pulse, now!"

"Dodge it, Dragonair!"

It glided out of the way with a perfect twist of its body, and used Iron Tail, which hit Altaria and sent it flying to the ground. Altaria struggled to get up, worn out from the fighting as Dragonair fainted a few moments later on the ground. "Dragonair!" Clair said, running up to it.

I felt sorry for it as Clair returned it to its ball, "that's the effect of Perish Song." I hoped that Clair didn't know that Altaria was capable of using that attack as well; I could take her by surprise.

"Gyarados, come on out!" Clair yelled, unleashing this massive beast in the water. It was the same Gyarados as before, yet it seemed bigger now that I was battling against it.

I shook my head and took a deep breath, "Altaria, Perish Song."

Altaria started to sing, just as Mismagius did, and the music started to fill Gyarados's ears, now I was guaranteed to win, as long as I kept my Pokémon conscious. "Great work, Altaria! Now use Take Down!"

"Wrap your tail around its body!"

Gyarados was squeezing the living light out of Altaria, it couldn't do anything physically, but I had to get it out! "Quick, Altaria! Sing!"

Altaria opened its mouth, only to be welcomed by Gyarados's Dragon Breath, now Altaria was completely infatuated. It couldn't move! "Try to move, Altaria! I know you can do this!"

But my encouragement was futile, by the time Altaria could at least move its neck, a Hyper Beam from Gyarados had already made its way to it. It flew to the wall, almost about to hit it. It still couldn't move! Otherwise I would have tried to do an attack to break its fall.

"Altaria is unable to battle, Gyarados wins the round."

One more, I told myself. That Perish Song should kick in soon...I held the pokéball I was about to throw to my heart. "It's time…" I told it. "Let's show them what real teamwork is!"

"Gallade, I choose you!"

Gallade sprung onto the field, already in its fighting position, with its arms out like blades that could slit your throat with its legs spread out in a stance. We had to win this. I would never end hearing it from Gary if I didn't.

My body glowed, my aura blue and I telepathically told Gallade to use Confusion. I felt it force Gyarados in the air and sent it flying into the wall. I constantly reminded myself not to panic, and to be one with my Pokémon. I remembered Sabrina's words and tried to look on the positive side: '_If you think you'll win, you'll win.' _

"I don't understand…I can't hear a word your saying!" Clair exclaimed, "I can't predict your attacks…"

Which is exactly what I want, I thought. '_Close Combat, Gallade. Aim for the stomach.'_ I told it. Our bodies still glowed as Gallade ran through the field to Gyarados in the pool.

"Dragon Breath, Gyarados!"

'_Teleport and then go in for the attack,' _I quipped to Gallade. It disappeared for a moment, only to reappear just near Gyarados's stomach; this is where it made the attack.

"Hydro Pump!" Gyarados opened its mouth and out came water, assuring more than 120 power into Gallade's back.

"Gallade!" I shouted aloud in worry. Gallade sprawled and hit the ground before propping itself back up. I spontaneously waited for the Perish Song to kick in, but that was taking too long. I don't know what was happening, but my best guess was that we needed to finish this ourselves.

'_Psycho Cut.' _I instructed. Gallade started to move in, and it was almost as if I was it, advancing on my opponent, ready to attack.

"Aqua Tail, Gyarados!" It whipped around its tail and sent it flying to Gallade just as it was going to make its Psycho Cut. The two attacks collided together, making a satisfying boom, and for once I was glad that Psycho Cut was not a close range attack.

Gyarados still stood, after everything. "Dragon Rage, now!" Just as Chizard had done, Gyarados quickly stored up power and unleashed it before I could ever get one word out of my mouth, and just like that, Gallade was on the floor, looking sick. I was afraid that I would lose.

"Please Gallade hang in there!" I said. "We can do this, Gallade!" I sent a wave of energy between us, leaving me exhausted and it recovered. Gallade gave me a scowl, saying that I should have saved my energy, but I shook my head in disagreement, I wanted to do that.

"Wrap your tail around its body tight!" Clair shouted.

'_This has got to end…try to trip it, Gallade.'_ I said, screwing up my face in concentration while also trying to stay awake. It wasn't my best idea, but with a body that long, a smaller opponent would definitely have an advantage against Gyarados, especially if it were on the floor, hurt. Gyarados came closer and lifted up its tail as Gallade laid its foot out and tripped Gyarados.

'_Run up its body, and give it one last Close Combat on the head. Max Power!' _I urged, Gallade swiftly traveled up Gyarados long back and stood at its head. Gyarados's instinct told it to shake Gallade off, but Gallade held on tight. Nice and tight as its fists started to glow and collide with Gyarados's head.

It came crashing down and Gallade teleported back in front of me, just as it was about to be caught up in the debris. Two things were clear, this match had ended, and that Altaria's Perish Song had failed. But I was happy with at least one of them, the other I was going to work with.

"Gyarados is unable to battle. The victory goes to Desirae of Saffron City and her Gallade!" The old man said, holding up the green flag.

I gave Gallade an enormous hug and laughed. I was going to the Johto League Silver Conference! This was going to be it. I was well on my way to becoming a Pokémon Master!

Gardevoir had come down to congratulate us and we were just about finished talking when Clair came and presented me with the Rising Badge. "Here, Desirae, you earned this Rising Bade. Proof of your victory here at the Blackthorn City gym." I had accepted gratefully, adding it to a bracelet I had been making of all my badges. Yes, I was that girly, and it did look great. I re-fastened the bracelet to my left wrist and thanked Clair.

"That was a great match, Clair! You're a really amazing Pokémon trainer." I complimented her.

"Why, thank you, Desirae, you are too. I also learned a few things from today, everything is all about surprises." She responded.

I smiled sheepishly, "thanks."

After returning Gallade to its pokéball, I ran up the bleachers and accepted a few high-fives from everyone. Gardevoir stuck close behind, which made me feel sorry that it couldn't be in its pokéball if it wished. I would have to commence a search for it very soon.

"Now it's my turn!" Ash said, jumping down to Clair, only to return a few moments later.

"What is it, Ash?" I asked.

"She said that her Pokémon need a little break to recover, and then we would battle," he sulked.

"Well it's true, Ash. After two battles, her pokemon and her deserve a break." Brock reasoned.

"I know, I just thought that I would be moving to the Silver Conference by now…" Ash said.

"Stop moping, Ash. You'll get there soon enough." Misty said.

"Let's go, Desirae." Gary said suddenly.

"What?"

"We don't need to watch this amateur battle; we need to start heading toward the Silver Conference to train." He replied.

"I've never seen Ash battle before." I stated.

"Well I have, and I'll tell you, he will probably use his Snorlax, Pikachu, and his Charizard. That's all you need to know." Gary said impatiently.

"Err…how'd you know that?" Ash wondered.

"Typical, Ashy boy."

I was a bit disappointed, but could also understand his eagerness to get to the Silver Conference. "We're probably going to have to stay here over night anyway, Gary. Our Pokémon need rest, and it is almost sundown." I reasoned.

"One day, that's it," he compromised before walking straight out the door.

"Hey…where's he going?" Misty asked.

"He probably went to the Pokémon Centre to treat his Pokémon. I'll go too and then we'll be right back." I promised before heading out after him.

I didn't have a good sense of direction, and had already recycled my map. After trudging around on the streets for a few minutes, I knew there had to be an easier way. This wasn't working. However, getting to the Pokémon Centre should be easy enough right? I mean, it's a big building with a pokéball on top of it with the signature "P" in the middle. Easy to see in the sky if you look overhead, but Gary had the map.

So instead of asking for directions from random strangers on the street, I kept looking to the sky at that big pokéball of the Pokémon Centre, and tired to cut my way through things to get to it. The roads could get me lost, so the only sensible thing that I would do is to go in that direction; even if it meant cutting through people's back yards. Don't worry, no one noticed.

I took a much longer time than I thought I would, but in the end I made it. I crossed the front foyer of the centre and rung the bell on the desk. No one appeared for many minutes, and I had to wonder if Gary got here first and she was treating his Pokémon. When she finally came, I gave all of my Pokémon to Nurse Joy and asked her if she had seen Gary.

"Yes, he actually just left a few minutes ago. Although I don't know where he is heading." She said with a smiled.

"Thank you. I'll pick up my Pokémon later, okay?" I said, giving her another thanks. She nodded and I backtracked to the Blackthorn gym to see Ash with his final Pokémon, and Gary in the stands.

"Where were you?" I asked.

"Nowhere."

"Really? Could you give me directions? Because sometimes I'd like to go there."

He looked up at me, "Forgive me, I was being very vague," he said. "The appropriate response would be 'Nowhere of interest to you.' "

"Are you sure about that?"

"I'm positive," he replied, making the kind of direct eye contact he might only make when he would try and stare me down.

I refused to look away, "going to the Pokémon Centre really isn't a big deal, Gary." Unless he went somewhere else after, I thought.

He stayed silent and I turned to look at Ash's battle. He was a good trainer, just as I had thought. "You're hampering my fun," I told Gary. "Why so mysterious?"

"Why so serious?"

"You're hilarious."

"Of course I am."

He was trying to distract me with small talk. "There a reason you aren't telling me something?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Amazing, I totally believe that."

"I—"

Smoke cleared the room and I covered my eyes and looked at the battle field. As it died down, Ash's Charizard and Clair's Dragonair were standing right in the middle of it, until Dragonair collapsed. A whoop of joy burst through me, all of us had won the gym battle!

"Congratulations, Ash! Now you can participate in the Silver Conference!" Misty said, giving a high-five.

I gave my words of congratulations to Ash and we all exited the gym, ready for a long rest. Gary was the guide again as he casually walked his way through the streets, leasing us all to the Pokémon Centre. Nurse Joy had already prepared rooms for us and we went by group. Each room had two bunks, and I called a bottom one, just because it was closer to a heater.

I set my things on the table that overlooked the city and climbed into the bottom bunk with Gardevoir on the top one. '_We'll get your pokéball soon, Gardevoir, I promise.'_ I spoke to her, and she gave a satisfying breath.

The next morning, Gary and I headed out early after a breakfast of salad, fruits, and egg. I thanked Nurse Joy and Chansey once more and picked up our Pokémon, giving Gary's his as soon as I saw him. I put all mine in a pocket of my jeans that had a zipper. We had just been ready to leave the centre when Ash came running outside. I waved to him and he panted before getting up.

"I was looking for you guys everywhere! Are you leaving already?" Ash asked, still in his pyjamas.

I nodded, "we want to be prepared, and even though leaving early doesn't necessarily mean we will be…we just want to get there quickly." I explained.

"Oh…well, Gary, why don't we have a battle before you leave?" Ash asked.

"No way, Ash. I'm not risking my Pokémon being injured yet, and I don't want to battle you. Not with an amateur."

I smiled, but thought that the harshness in Gary's voice was a little too much, "perhaps we could battle the next time we meet." I suggested.

"Sure!" he beamed, "oh, Desirae, I forgot to ask you something yesterday!"

"What is it?" I inquired.

"When you were battling Clair yesterday with your Gallade, your body kinda started glowing as was Gallade's and I didn't really understand what was going on. It kind of reminded me of a battle I had once with the gym leader at Saffron." Ash said.

I smiled, "I'm a psychic trainer, Ash. Just as my half-sister Sabrina is."

"Your half-sister!"

I nodded, "you must be really good to beat her." I said, "we'll see you at the Silver Conference, okay?"

"Definitely," he replied.

"You know, I don't think you're giving yourself enough credit," Gary said as Ash left. "You did really good at that battle with Clair. I think that you would be better than your sister _now_."

"Seriously?" I asked him, "I don't think so. She was always so much better than me. But I will challenge her after the Silver conference."

"Well, it looks to me that it might be a landslide."

I quirked my lips to one side as we started walking, the city disappearing after a few minutes as the wind sifted through my hair. Did Gary really think that I could beat Sabrina? Of course I trained my heart out, but I had never been better than Sabrina, she always seemed a lot better than me as a child. "So when is the Silver Conference starting anyway?"

"In exactly two weeks. We have plenty of time to get there. I was thinking that every morning we should train with our Pokémon, have a few practice battles to keep them fit, and keep doing that as we get there." Gary said, having already figured everything out.

I nodded in agreement, "that sounds like a good plan. Once we get to the Pokémon Centre, we can use the computer there to look up our opponents." I said, "so when do we start with the training today?"

"Before lunch."

I looked at my watch; lunch was about two hours away. That seemed like a long time for walking, but every trainer did it. I calculated approximately thirty minutes in total for breaks. That meant at least an hour and a half until lunch, and even more after. "Why before lunch and not after?"

Gary chuckled, "that way if our Pokémon don't want to train, then we can bribe them with food," he said, "and because you have to wait at least forty-five minutes after eating before you do anything intensely physical."

"Why?"

"Trust me, I've tried training after lunch, doesn't work. Made my Pokémon and I incredibly sick and we lost at least five hours of traveling time." He said, not wanting to recall the memory.

"So how many Pokémon do you have anyway?" I asked.

"As of today? About two hundred and fifty," he said, "I still have more to catch though."

"Ah, so you have multiple of one then, right? If there are only one hundred fifty known Pokémon species, you must have doubles." I said.

He nodded, "you can never have enough Pokémon. Besides, all of my Pokémon except six go to my grandpa at his lab, I don't want them to be lonely, and I want them to be happy and healthy." Gary added, "And now there are three hundred known Pokémon species."

Very wise, I thought. I turned my head to look at Gary, and he caught me looking. I turned away, feeling my cheeks starting to heat up again. Gary had so much knowledge of Pokémon, and sure that would do him greatly in battles, but I always got this Pokémon researcher feeling from him, like Professor Oak.

"How many Pokémon do you have?" He asked.

"About fifteen, give or take a few." I said.

"Only fifteen!"

I nodded, laughing at his surprise, "When you catch Pokémon, they are bound to you their whole life unless you break their pokéball and release them. Most of the time people don't rotate training and loving their Pokémon and just keep them trapped in a lab." I explained, "That's no way to properly treat a Pokémon. So instead, if I see a Pokémon I really want to catch, I think about it first, and then catch it.

I continued, "I don't understand why everyone must capture all the Pokémon in the world otherwise. Pokémon are living creatures, you can't just hoard them in a closet like you can with cereal or coins."

"You've really thought about that deeply then," he said, "I never considered it like that. I do rotate training my Pokémon though, if you should know."

"Good, continue with that; never let any of your Pokémon feel left out."

After many labouring hours of walking, Gary catching Pokémon, stopping for breaks, and more walking, we finally stopped at a nice clearing in a forest with rocks and a river nearby. It was the perfect spot for training, today we were lucky.

"Great!" I laughed, "Come on out guys!" I said while throwing all my pokéballs in the air. My Pokemon came out to join Gardevoir, Mismagius, Gallade, Altaria, Leafeon, Lapras, and Ninetails.

Gary's Pokémon appeared from inside their pokéballs as well. Arcanine, Nidoking, Nidoqueen, Umbreon, Scizor, and Blastoise. Umbreon was the first to catch my eye, and it was the last to come out. Its fur looked lush and soft, filled with life, and it looked as it if could go for a hundred mile run right this moment and not get tired at all! I stared at my Leafeon, and almost felt like laughing. It was weird how a guy kept their Pokémon better than a girl, but I was inexperienced, and I knew Gary saw this.

"Hey," Gary started, "why do you have seven Pokémon right now?" He shook his head, "no, it isn't possible. Unless…one of these Pokémon are not truly yours! You didn't capture one of these, did you?"

He cut me off before I could continue, "Yet they all came out of pokéballs…"

"Actually, Gary, you are correct. Lapras is not my Pokémon." I said, "I was instructed to give it to a friend. It is his, and even though I would love a Lapras, and I need a water-type Pokémon, I know I can't keep it. That's why I am on the lookout for a water-type Pokémon. Yet I haven't come across one I truly want yet." I explained.

"So where is this friend anyway?" Gary asked.

"He is going to be entering in the Silver Conference as well as us, so I can give him his Lapras then." I replied.

"Oh, so what's his name?" he asked curiously as we walked away from our bags with our Pokémon, coming nearer to the clearing where rocks and water lay, "and are you going to be training Lapras _for _him?"

I looked at him with genuine shock, "oh no, of course not. Avery would never ask that of me, he won't even let the day care raise his Pokémon, he thinks of it as a crutch. A cheat." I said, "It's just that the transferor at the Pokémon centre he was residing in at the time broke down so the professor transferred it to me to deliver to him instead."

Gary nodded in approval, and for a second I knew that he and Avery would become good friends, if both their competitive attitudes didn't ruin things. I looked over to the rocks and we both instructed both of our Pokémon to stand on one in the line of rocks. There were more than enough.

Training had begun.

…

Hope you liked that chapter, please let me know if I wrote about the characters right, and they acted like themselves. Writing about Pokémon is harder than other fics.

**Sorry for the delay of the plot for those impatient readers, believe me, the plot will come in the next chapter!**

…

**Disclaimer:**This is a Pokemon fanfiction. None of the characters, shows, manga, or movies is owned by me unless otherwise stated. Credit goes to the original owner.

© Ashley Jane Li, 2011. All rights reserved.


	3. Author's Note

Hey! I've been getting a lot of questions lately whether or not my stories are discontinued or on hiatus. The answer is that no, NONE of my stories have been abandoned or are on hiatus (well, maybe on hiatus). I am trying whenever I can to update, forgive me for not updating for over a year. To tell you the truth have just been so busy with my studies and trying to write my own book. The chances for updates have become rare, but I have updated at least one of my stories, which I am happy about. So please try and bear with me, and forgive me—10 stories is a lot to handle!

Love,

ashleyjaneli


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